Patent GB-700631-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in automatic sheet feeding apparatus
IPC: B65H1/26
Filed: 1951-03-07
Abstract: 700,631. Feeding sheets. BERLIN & JONES CO., Inc. March 7, 1951 [April 26, 1950], No. 5577/51. Class 100 (1) Pile supports.-In sheet-feeding apparatus in which a partially depleted sheet supply stack is automatically replenished so as to maintain continuous sheet feed to a processing machine, the main, supply, and auxiliary platforms are of ribbed or like construction whereby the supply and auxiliary platforms can nest within the main platform, and the supply auxiliary platforms are adapted for lateral movement relative to the main platform. As shown, a stack of envelope blanks 10, to be fed to an envelope making machine, rests between posts 13 on a carriage 11 comprising a number of spaced rails 12. The carriage is driven periodically by a motor 14 along guides 17 to position the stack over an elevator 16, and the latter is then raised by means of racks 18, pinions 19, and chains 20 fastened to bars 23 on either side of the elevator, to move the top end of the stack into contact with the bottom of a diminished stack of blanks 21. The diminished stack 21 is supported by fingers 26 on an upper carriage 24. As shown in full lines (Fig. 1), the elevator 16 is in raised position and is holding the diminished stack 21 in position for an oscillating sucker arm mechanism 22 to pick up one end of the top blank and bring it into frictional engagement with rotating rubber-faced rollers 25 which project the blank towards the envelope making machine. The sucker arm means controls the operation of the racks, pinions and chains 18, 19 20, respectively, to raise the elevator, in known manner, to keep the top blank at a substantially constant level. When the elevator 16 has been raised to such an extent that only a few blanks remain in the diminished stack 21, the upper carriage 24 is driven by a motor 71 (not shown) so that the fingers 26 take over the support of the stack, and the elevator 16 then drops to the position shown in dotted lines (Fig. 1) to receive a new stack from the carriage 11. The upper carriage 24 comprises two side plates 29, Fig. 2, secured by members 30 to driving chains 27, and slidable along slots 31 in side guides 32. The fingers 26 are secured to a bar 38 secured to side plates 39 which are associated with parallel link mechanism, such that when the chains 27 are driven by a motor 71, Fig. 5 (not shown), and the carriage moves to the right to support the stack 21, the plates 39 and fingers 26 are raised to lift the stack 21 a short distance above the elevator 16. The plates 39 are raised by the engagement of followers 60 with fixed cams 61 secured on the guides 32. The amount by which the stack 21 is raised by the fingers 26 obviates any action by the sucker arm mechanism 22 on the elevator raising means 18, 19, 20 until the new stack has been moved up under stack 21 : the elevator drive can therefore be de-clutched permitting the elevator to fall to its loading position. When the new stack 10 has been placed on the elevator 16, the latter is raised by an auxiliary motor 111 (not shown) until the stack is adjacent the bottom of stack 21, whereupon the auxiliary motor stops and the existing driving means under the control of the sucker mechanism takes over the lifting of the elevator. All the operations are entirely automatic, the necessary electrical connections to the motors being established by the movements of the elevator and the two carriages.